Nature abhors a vacuum. So does my cat.

Ann Arbor Daily Telegraph for September 17, 2012

I've made an effort to cull stories from other college towns around the country and to feature former Ann Arborites who have left town to make their mark on the world. Without further ado….

Beirut, Lebanon: Former Ann Arborite Bilal Ghalib is now in Beirut raising money for an international network of hacker spaces. His Kickstarter campaign would bring this campaign to Baghdad, Iraq. [Kickstarter] [GEMSI] Bilal has been affiliated with Ann Arbor's AHA All Hands Active makerspace, which hosts weekly build nights and after-school programs. [AHA]

Rawsonville: Raspberry season is abruptly over at Rowe's Produce Farm, as an infestation of Spotted Wing Drosophila has been found on the berries. [Rowe's Produce Farm mailer] Drosophila suzukii, an Asian import, is a serious economic threat to cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and other soft, summer fruits. [MSU Integrated Pest Management] [Wikipedia]

Ann Arbor: Construction is underway at the corner of Ellsworth and Platt on the city's southeast side. A new 8,000 square foot strip shopping center on the northwest corner of that intersection is being developed by the owner of the parcel across the street to the east. The project has been in the planning stages since 2007. [Ann Arbor City Council, April 2010]

Brief news from college towns across the nation:

Austin, Texas: University of Texas officials sent emergency notices Friday morning to evacuate all buildings on campus based on a bomb threat. [U Texas Emergency] [KUT live blog] No bombs were found. Similar threats emptied North Dakota State University and Ohio's Hiram College. [AP/Google News]

Austin, Texas: Rain is helping refill dry central Texas reserviors, which are down as much as 30 feet from normal levels. Parts of the Austin area have received more than 5 inches of rain recently. [KVUE]

Boulder, Colorado: A new Trader Joe's is being built in Boulder, but it won't carry Two Buck Chuck or any other wines. The chain will use its one Colorado liquor license in Denver. "Bernadette Swanson said when she lived in Ann Arbor, Mich., she would to go Trader Joe's about once every two weeks — often to buy wine," reported the Colorado Daily. [Colorado Daily]

Davis, California: The University of California will pay a settlement to 21 students and alumni who filed suit over a notorious November 2011 pepper spray incident. [LA Times] The chief of police at UC Davis had earlier resigned as in the aftermath of the case. [DavisWiki] [Photos: Davis Enterprise]

Cambridge, Massachusetts: Several Harvard athletes are expected to sit out a year of competition in the aftermath of a cheating scandal. [Boston Herald] Teaching assistants had noticed that students were using the "same long, identical strings of words" in their answers to a take-home exam. [WBUR]

Madison, Wisconsin: State capitol police are cracking down on musicians playing at the farmers market in the city, requiring them to get a permit for each performance. The old-timey band "Moldy Jam" is affected by the change in rules. [Isthmus] [Moldy Jam]

Atlanta, Georgia: The State of Georgia is closing public access to its state archives this year as a result of budget cuts. [Public Broadcasting Atlanta] [Georgia Secretary of State statement] Over 5,000 people have signed an online petition protesting the cuts. [Facebook] [Change.org]

Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Bus advertisements in Chapel Hill opposing military aid to Israel have sparked a controversy. The national campaign is sponsored locally by a Presbyterian church. [Chapel Hill News] [Two Peoples One Future] An anti-Israel advertisement which was rejected by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority prompted a 2011 lawsuit. [Ann Arbor Chronicle]

University of Michigan: Athletic Director David Brandon unveiled a $250 million, 10 year plan to upgrade the South (Athletic) Campus. Among the changes would be the conversion of 112 year old Ferry Field to a parking lot and a new pedestrian "Walk of Champions" path across the Ann Arbor Railroad. [support.mgoblue.com] [Michigan Daily]

Michigan is a heavy favorite against Massachusetts, but then again, they were also expected to clobber Appalachian State. [MLive] Michigan won 63-13.